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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bees

Sometimes I often wonder how in the world I manage to maintain sanity while everything around me spins in a circle of inevitable and endless cycles of mayhem. I also often wonder if other people could experience some of the same daily trials and tribulations that I do? For example do other people wake up to find grieving men in an apple tree in the neighbor’s yard? Or, men with shovels walking through the neighbor’s yard "hunting for skunks"? [no I do not live in the country] How about while eating dinner (with one of my best friends for the first time in ages) while enjoying a Margareta fighting off a bee flying around our table, after I had about 3 sips the bee decides to jump in spend his last moments of life enjoying my same drink? [of course leading to me not being able to drink it anymore. Maybe in my twenties I would have scooped the bee out and chugged it down. But not anymore] O' how could I forget the day when I was making dinner and while boiling pasta I went to pick up the pot and the handle broke off and the pasta [still HOT] dumped all over my new shirt and pants and not only scalded me but stained my clothes? Then there is the airport story where this family was traveling to Disney for the first time and the mother was besides herself with fear and anxiety so of course she found some form of comfort in discussing her life with me and when all was said and done she offered me some of her anti-anxiety medication [again in my twenties I may have taken her up on her offer but not anymore...] And how can I forget about the auction that my ex-husband and I went to and were loading an antique stackable oak bookcase with glass door fronts into our vehicle and the MR man who just wanted to help, he wasn't looking for money or anything like that, he truly just wanted to help us. But with his help came his story of a troublesome youth, and talking consistently so he was not paying attention and almost smashed the shelves [my ex- pointed out to me that he believes I am a magnet of some sort for those who are seeking advice and conversation. Maybe?]

I also wonder if other people experience running into complete strangers in ANY situation, the grocery store, a restaurant, lines anywhere, amusement parks, my children's games, schools, air planes, church picnics, and suddenly strangers decide to tell me personal and often times private information regarding their lives. I mean I could tell you things about strangers that I should never know. There are the stories of past sexual experiences, stories of daily challenges, disabilities, what they ate for dinner the night before and where they ate it and with whom they shared it with, stories of household pets, children, and yes even bathroom stories which often include loose stool.[ I am not making this stuff up. It is all factual, maybe hard to believe but true!]

When I ask people about their opinions on my getting this information I hear things like " you have a kind face" or " you smile a lot and people take that as an invitation to approach you". Maybe they are right.

I often wonder if we were really placed on this earth for specific jobs and reasons. I am an MSW, and talking is my profession. Maybe it comes out in my daily life and people sense my willingness to help. Whatever the case, I have had some pretty interesting unprovoked conversations...

I titled this posting Bees, because it made me think about the bee the night I ate dinner with my friend. That bee would not leave me alone. It just kept at me, at our table, until finally it died in my drink [ I hope it got a good buzz on before it died]. Sometimes I feel like those around me are the bees. They just don't stop!!! They just won't give up until they get exactly what they want, and unfortunately, even if I am not ready or willing to assist I have too. Just like my drink that night, I could have moved it away from the bee and continued to swoosh it away, but I didn't. I sacrificed the drink to get it to stop!

I think I would miss the bees if they stopped coming around. I think I would miss the people if they stopped talking to me. I think I would miss the chaos if it weren't there. So, while I may need just a little time to myself, and I may have to sacrifice some things to get it, I don't think I would have it any other way. If you really stopped to think about it the things in life we complain about the most are the things that make our life the most interesting. So, while we all may need just a little break [ok, maybe more than a little break at times] it's nice to know that we serve a purpose, we hold something that others may find comfort in. A friend of mine has the most amazing little boy with an amazing sense of imagination, and he has begun to speak gibberish to her pretending it is another language. While I understand how it can be annoying to her after an hour or so, I can hear in her voice how humorous she finds it. And guess what she and I did the same thing as children. So, I tried it again after talking to him. And it's fun! Maybe we all need to just take some time to speak gibberish when chaos finds its way back around us! Laugh. Giggle. Speak gibberish. Learn another language, embrace those who seek our ear. After all, it is all in the way we perceive it. I am just saying...